ecology flashcards
abiotic factor
a non-living factor that can affect a community
abundance
a measure of how common or rare a particular type of organism is in a given environment
adaptations
special features that make an organism particularly well-suited to the environment it inhabits
biotic factor
a living factor that can affect a community
community
a group of independent organisms living in an ecosystem
competition
the process by which living organisms compete with each other for limited resources such as food, light or reproductive partners
distribution
where particular types of organisms are found within an environment
ecosystem
the interaction of a community of living organisms with the non-living parts of their environments
extremophiles
organisms that can survive and reproduce in extreme conditions
habitat
the natural home or environment of a plant, animal or other organism
interdependence
the network of relationships between different organisms within a community. for example, each species depends on other species for food, shelter, pollination, seed dispersal, etc.
mean
the arithmetical average of a series of numbers
median
the middle number in a list of numbers
mode
the number which appears the most in a set of data
quadrat
a sample area used for measuring the abundance and distribution of organisms in the field
